Patricia Cahill | Special to The Republican

About Me:

I was a feature writer for our Lifestyle section for 24 years. Now, I'm a beat reporter for Granby and South Hadley -- and I love getting suggestions for human interest stories in those towns. You can reach me at pcahill@repub.com.

To all you wiseguys who insist that nobody ever finds cat skeletons in trees, read this letter from Mark, one of the rescuers:

I just wanted to say thank you for your story. Apparently, it's one hot potato! I've been contacted by several news companies even BBC World Today! That was weird for me. I sincerely thank you for your kind words in the story. I'm glad things worked out the way that it did for Misty. I was reading some of the comments on the story. It's amazing that everyone, all of a sudden, is an expert on cats (or animals) in trees...or rescues in general. There has been reported stories of cats dying in trees, as a matter of fact, one that was in the town of Auburn MA a couple of years ago. Sad really, my supervisor, Brian O'Connor read the story in the newspaper and quickly ran through resources to try to get information on checking the situation out. Unfortunately, the cat was already deceased. We have had a few where the cat was legitimately stuck in the tree by it's head or collar. I read a story in PA where there was a cat stuck about 20 feet in a tree. A very reachable distance. The woman involved called Animal Control, a humane society and the fire department. Two declined and one never responded. Finally, Animal Control did respond but the cat was already deceased and it was entangled by it's collar. Very sad really. It would have taken a short time to really figure out a solution to the scenario and the cat would have been saved. Apparently, it must have been an owned cat if it had a collar. I have a ton of stories like that but many more success stories! Thank you for you time and effort into the story.

Jeez Louise, people... A healthy cynicism is fine, but be careful about getting into conspiracy theories. The selectboard decided that they didn't want to renew Beecher's contract. That's not the same as being fired. They did not accuse him of any skulduggery. When Beecher learned that he would not have a job next year, he decided not to stay for the remaining months left to him and resigned....The implication that he lost $600,000 for The Ledges is incorrect. The course was in debt when he arrived. Even when the cost of operations was covered in earlier years, any surplus had to help pay for the original cost of the land....As for the "good ol' boys" theory, please note that in the last town election, there was only one contest. Otherwise, people are too busy or too to uninspired to run for office.....By the way, anyone who wants to find out what went on at those "executive sessions" concerning the town administrator can go to the selectboard office at Town Hall and ask for the minutes.

22volley22, thank you for injecting the voice of reason into the conversation. According to the police department, the highway department and the selectboard in Granby, incidents of illegal dumping have been few, and the program has been progressing well. The cost for the blue bags is about average, since some towns charge $2 for bags. The chairman of the Granby selectboard, Mark Bail, reminds readers that people who dump illegally are committing a crime that brings punishment ranging from heavy fines to suspension of disposal privileges.

Logs, Pat Cahill never reported that Mr. Cardoza was selected for the job. The headline was an inadvertent typo by a Masslive editor who combined the first and last names of two different candidates in the story. Unfortunately, this confused an already confusing matter. Two of the candidates were so closely matched that the screening committee was split. By the end of the joint meeting, the committees had unanimously decided to offer the job to one candidate, contingent on receiving references. The next day, they changed their minds and decided to offer the position to the other candidate. According to the chair of the selectboard, it was a matter of not getting sufficient information from references.

Logs, I think Mr. Forcier will be surprised to hear that he has "leased the restaurant at The Ledges"! Mr. Forcier has been appointed to the golf commission, and the South Hadley Selectboard has approved the hiring of Frigo's. They are two separate proposals, but were both approved at the same Selectboard meeting. My fault. I caused the confusion when I left the "Select" out of "Selectboard" in the first paragraph (It's there now). The Selectboard, by the way, is a five-member board, but enough members were present to make the hiring official . Even if the other two members had voted against bringing Frigo's into the operation (and who in their right mind would pass up a chance to enjoy Frigo's cuisine!), the measure still would have passed. Old Veteran, I agree with you -- Frigo's is da bomb!

BayHarbor, you started me off with a great laugh today! Shades of Dana Carvey! (I must tell you, though, that the headline is not mine, and I hope the story does not reflect it. We reporters seldom get to write our own headlines. I think the principal and her staff are thrilled to be able to feed the little ones who need it.) Letzchatz, your second post also made me laugh. Queenmary, I have loved some of your comments. so let me just say that I was referring to the children as "consumers" in the liiteral, not economic, sense. They consume breakfast. Thank you all, and write again!

Ann Brauer is a true artist, who transforms fabric and color into magic. I' m sorry that her studio was damaged, but I think she is one of those people who have an endless supply of imagination and talent. I hope this trauma will not prevent her from pursuing her beautiful art form. Our sympathies, Ann. Thank goodness you are safe.

Foolonthehill, the members of the ad hoc committee are Ryan Bagley, Mark Zraunig, Dale Gurek, Richard Constant, William Foley, David Levy, Stanley Czierwiec, Frank DeToma, John Hine and Ira Brezinsky. The meetings are open to the public. You can find the time and place on the South Hadley Web site, in The Republican and on MassLive.....To Frank_Mann: Get a grip.

Richard, Thank you for your comment about a metal roof. Hmmmm. Wouldn't metal get awfully HOT in summer? I don't know. But feedback like yours is always appreciated, because it generates new ideas.....By the way, I hope the article didn't give the impression that the Senior Center is just dealing with a few shingles. A leaky roof can affect a building from top to bottom, and these leaks have already done some damage all the way down to the basement. Let's hope these good people find a solution soon.

Beckylynn, Thank you for asking. September is dessert month, so you can donate cake mix, brownie mix or pie ingredients. October is spud month, featuring instant potato or sweet potato. You can deliver these foods in nonperishable form to the Senior Center, as Ann indicated in the story, or to the Town Hall or Safety Complex in Granby. The Senior Center is at 10 West State St. You can find more information by calling the Senior Center at 413-467-3239 or going to www.granbyma.org/pages, which includes a picture of the flyer. Good for you for becoming part of this wonderful program.

Richard, I think you misunderstood the quote. Rosenberg was was not saying that the population of Massachusetts was moving west Quite the opposite. "Broiled" gets the point. And "tiedyeguy" -- I love your comment!

Thanks for asking, Alishak77. The official ABC-TV Website indicates that the "Super Humans" episode of "20/20" airs tonight at 9 p.m. But some of the publicity I've seen, and a call to our local Channel 40, gives the time as 10 p.m. Personally, I'm going to start watching at 9 p.m. -- just to make sure I don't miss it!